Football League Clubs Spend Less On Agents' Fees During '12-13 Season

Football League clubs "spent less on agents' fees last season -- with seven teams spending nothing at all," according to Hassan & Cartwright of the BBC.
Agents received a total of £21.5M from clubs during '12-13, down £170,000 from the previous campaign.
A Football League report revealed that Blackburn gave £3.5M to agents -- "the most among Championship clubs" -- but Blackpool "did not pay them anything." Promoted Bournemouth (£688,666) and Rotherham (£106,383) "headed the lists for Leagues One and Two." Hartlepool United, Accrington Stanley, AFC Wimbledon, Morecambe, Barnet and Crewe Alexandra "were the other six clubs to avoid any outlay on agents' fees, while 24 other clubs spent less than" £25,000 each. UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations "could see a further overall reduction this season," and Football League Chair Greg Clarke has urged teams to continue cutting their cloth accordingly (BBC, 9/6). In London, James Andrew reported two of the three teams that won promotion last season -- Crystal Palace and Cardiff -- "spent more than a million pounds on agents, as did Leeds and Nottingham Forest." Overall spending on agents by Championship clubs rose by £521,125. Interestingly, "the only club in the league to spend nothing on agents was Blackpool," which currently sits atop the table (DAILY MAIL, 9/6).